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[Wilsongt]

I'm not really sure how future presidents can retroactively make popular presidents into bad presidents.

The only instance I can think of, of a president who was popular in his term and then kind of faded away, and people starting rethinking if his presidency was actually good was Clinton, but even so, future presidents had nothing to do with that.

In any case, it's usually the opposite. Presidents look better when the future president messes up. For example, Trump is going to make Bush look good because given the choice between W or Trump, I'm pretty sure most people would pick W.

I'll take a Dubya presidency without the Cheney right now, tbqh. At least we already know Dubya is a moron and what sort of damage he can do.

And at least Dubya did something to help humanity with his focus on AIDS in Africa.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

And you had No Child Left Behind, which wasn't great, but it was an attempt at improving schools. Instead of wanting to remove the entire Department of Education or whatever modern Republicans want to do these days.

And a stimulus plan that didn't really work, but it was an attempt at boosting the economy through handouts to the poor.

 

[Wilsongt]

Wow. GOP rhetoric is switching from the ACA is the spawn of Satan to "well, not that many people will be affected by the repeal."

Reacting to a major 2012 Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare, then-Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) gravely pronounced: "This ruling erodes the freedom of every American, opening the door for the federal government to legislate, regulate, and mandate nearly every aspect of our daily lives under the guise of its taxing power."

“If we don’t repeal and replace Obamacare, we will destroy health care in America,” Donald Trump warned a week before the election.

That was then.

This is now:

"It’s a relatively small number of people who really are involved here," Hatch told reporters earlier this month when he was being pressed for specifics about the GOP plan to repeal and maybe eventually replace Obamacare.

The sudden change in tone comes as the Obamacare buck, as it were, has been passed on to Republicans, who have vowed to repeal it as soon as the new Congress convenes in January. GOP lawmakers are now facing a bevy of concerns about what their current plan – repeal and delay – could mean for the individual markets, which health policy experts warn could collapse in the so-called transition period. The threat of rising premiums and disappearing choices, which has provided much of the ammo for Republican ACA attacks under Obama, is not so panic-worthy given individuals on the exchanges make up just 4 percent insurer market, their new refrain goes

”We have an Obamacare emergency in a relatively small part of the insurance market, the individual -- people who buy insurance individually. That's about 6 percent of all of the insurance that is bought in the country, 4 percent ... is through the exchanges,” Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), who is the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, told TPM last week.

Republicans are right that Obamacare's exchanges implicate a relatively small part of the overall health insurance market, though it still affects millions of people. But the shift is notable as the nuance and hedging were largely absent from discussions over the last six years when Obamacare’s problems were not GOP lawmakers’ to fix.

Some Republicans, like Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), have said the limited number of people in the exchanges should actually make it easier to repeal and replace the law in relatively short order.

"It doesn't seem to me that it would really take that long to come up with a replacement and so that is the debate," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who said Alexander's own analysis had informed his. "Are we better off through reconciliation, ending it in three years and then working toward that? You know that is a long time. Momentum can get lost. Or are we better off on the front end right now just replacing it and being done with it?"
.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-doesnt-think-ocare-actually-affects-that-many-people-anymore

 

[human5892]

well, not that many people will be affected

This line of thinking also explains why the GOP will no longer be focusing on policies that benefit the super rich. There just aren't that many of em.

 

[Wilsongt]

This line of thinking also explains why the GOP will no longer be focusing on policies that benefit the super rich. There just aren't that many of em.

Exactly. Much easier to cater to and benefit a few than 300mil+ What matters if a terrible tragedy befalls the nation? A few peasants gotten rid of is fine.

It really makes me think of medival Europe.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Wow. GOP rhetoric is switching from the ACA is the spawn of Satan to "well, not that many people will be affected by the repeal."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-doesnt-think-ocare-actually-affects-that-many-people-anymore

I don't think the GOP thought they'd ever be president again. They likely figured demographics was going to ruin them for the presidency for the foreseeable future, but they'd hold the House and state elections forever. So they kept saying things they never intended to ever act on, because the figured they'd never actually have the chance to do it, but it sold well for state elections, so they'd just keep saying it.

 

[Pixieking]

Failing New York Times, yes, but this is interesting.

Obama Administration Bars States From Withholding Federal Money From Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON — Mindful of the clock ticking down to a Trump presidency, the Obama administration on Wednesday issued a final rule to bar states from withholding federal family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood affiliates and other health clinics that provide abortions. The measure takes effect two days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald J. Trump.

It can be reversed, however

According to the department, repealing the rule would require a joint resolution of disapproval by the House and Senate, with concurrence by the new president.

Still, I wonder how quickly they'll try and reverse this. Whilst it's a big ticket issue, I can see more pressing matters taking precedence.

 

[FyreWulff]

Failing New York Times, yes, but this is interesting.

Obama Administration Bars States From Withholding Federal Money From Planned Parenthood



It can be reversed, however



Still, I wonder how quickly they'll try and reverse this. Whilst it's a big ticket issue, I can see more pressing matters taking precedence.

I think the Senate stops it, in that case.

 

[Pixieking]

I think the Senate stops it, in that case.

Yeah, the Dems will almost certainly hold the line on this, so it'd just need three Republicans to cross the aisle.

 

[Wilsongt]

Obama blocks states from blocking federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

 

[Aaron Strife]

And now, to withdraw to my political comfort zone. POLLS

https://poll.qu.edu/virginia/release-detail?ReleaseID=2411

Virginia Governor

Ralph Northam (D) 38
Ed Gillespie (R) 34

Encouraging, but such high undecideds at this stage in the game makes the poll practically meaningless.

Democrats holding the governor's mansion in Virginia would be the first win for the 2020 redistricting cycle. If nothing else, they could force compromise maps.

 

[FyreWulff]

Yeah, the Dems will almost certainly hold the line on this, so it'd just need three Republicans to cross the aisle.

And Trump will, as always, bury this Obama sacrifice fly under his own ego news cycle

 

[Plinko]

Wow. GOP rhetoric is switching from the ACA is the spawn of Satan to "well, not that many people will be affected by the repeal."



http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-doesnt-think-ocare-actually-affects-that-many-people-anymore

Oh wow. Shameless. They put out a report the other day that said almost 1 million people in Michigan would be affected.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Wow. GOP rhetoric is switching from the ACA is the spawn of Satan to "well, not that many people will be affected by the repeal."



http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-doesnt-think-ocare-actually-affects-that-many-people-anymore

Alright, then. Have fun in 2018 you assholes.

 

[Plinko]

Alright, then. Have fun in 2018 you assholes.

Doesn't matter. They will do irreparable damage by that point.

 

[geomon]

Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show

A secret U.S. military investigation in 2010 determined that Michael T. Flynn, the retired Army general tapped to serve as national security adviser in the Trump White House, "inappropriately shared" classified information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan, newly released documents show.

Although Flynn lacked authorization to share the classified material, he was not disciplined or reprimanded after the investigation concluded that he did not act "knowingly" and that "there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result," according to Army records obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

Flynn has previously acknowledged that he was investigated while serving as the U.S. military intelligence chief in Afghanistan for sharing secrets with British and Australian allies there. But he has dismissed the case as insignificant and has given few details.

The Army documents provide the first official account of the case, but they are limited in scope because the investigation itself remains classified. Former U.S. officials familiar with the matter said that Flynn was accused of telling allies about the activities of other agencies in Afghanistan, including the CIA.

The Army files call into question Flynn's prior assertion that he had permission to share the sensitive information.

LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

 

[Wilsongt]

Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show



LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

Just replace with Patreus.

 

[Veritigo_X]

Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show



LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

Flynn's son has some interesting thoughts on this article.

Michael G Flynn 🇺🇸 @mflynnJR
Another article by the failing FAKE news that is the Compost..should they continue to operate when they continue to get everything so wrong?

https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/809043068536127489

"should they continue to operate"... hmmm

 

[geomon]

Flynn's son has some interesting thoughts on this article.



https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/809043068536127489

"should they continue to operate"... hmmm

Greg Miller putting Baby Flynn Jr to bed

 

[studyguy]

The worst part is how everyone is taking Trump's lead in simply calling news FAKE or FAILING, etc.

 

[kess]

Flynn doesn't get enough scrutiny for presiding over the Defense Intelligence Agency during a major upswing in Russian malfeasance. Having a major conflict of interest in Turkey suggests that he's compromised somewhere else, too.

 

[geomon]

The worst part is how everyone is taking Trump's lead in simply calling news FAKE or FAILING, etc.

Conservative media has been doing that since the 90's. It's so much worse now though with social media.

 

[Plinko]

The amazing thing is that they're going to repeal ACA immediately, which will cause mass chaos as soon as possible. It's going to be an absolute trainwreck.

 

[Geist-]

Flynn's son has some interesting thoughts on this article.



https://twitter.com/mflynnJR/status/809043068536127489

"should they continue to operate"... hmmm

That seems to be their winning strategy, take something that we're outraged about, and appropriate it for themselves. We're pissed that fake news helped get Trump elected? Nope, they're pissed that fake news is making Trump look bad. Since they're louder and angrier, it's now theirs.

How does we fight shit like this?

 

[faisal233]

Doesn't matter. They will do irreparable damage by that point.

I'm not trying to sound like a heartless bastard, but repeal and the ensuing political fallout is the only way to get to a better healthcare system now. It's better in the long term over weakening the ACA even more to the point of ineffectiveness.

 

[Wilsongt]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy

Scaramucci evaded host Chris Cuomo's question, but eventually implied that belief in human-related climate change was a partisan concern on which scientists shouldn't be trusted, rather than the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community.

“Look, I know that the current president believes that human beings are affecting the climate. There are scientists that believe that that's not happening,” Scaramucci began, before Cuomo interrupted him.

“The overwhelming consensus in the scientific community is that man's actions have an impact on science,” Cuomo said. “You have to correct that whenever it comes out. Go ahead.”

“Chris, there was an overwhelming science that the Earth was flat,” Scaramucci responded. “And there was an overwhelming science that we were the center of the world.”

“Some of the stuff that you're reading and some of the stuff I'm reading is very ideologically-based about the climate. We don't want it to be that way,” he said.

He later added, “I’m saying people have gotten things wrong throughout the 5,500-year history of our planet.”

World =/= solar system.

When science becomes ideology.

Yet what the Bible says is concrete.

We are entering scientist persecution erritory back in the 15th century.

 

[studyguy]

Trump has a singer for his inauguration.
http://www.today.com/popculture/ame...ackie-evancho-sing-trump-inauguration-t105955

Some nobody off America's Got Talent.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

Trump has a singer for his inauguration.
http://www.today.com/popculture/ame...ackie-evancho-sing-trump-inauguration-t105955

Some nobody off America's Got Talent.

She looks like Ivanka?!?

 

[radios shipping overview]

The worst part is how everyone is taking Trump's lead in simply calling news FAKE or FAILING, etc.

There really is a severe lack of critical thought being applied to what comes out the horse's mouth. He's the official source of party memes at this point.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Trump has a singer for his inauguration.
http://www.today.com/popculture/ame...ackie-evancho-sing-trump-inauguration-t105955

Some nobody off America's Got Talent.

That girl can sing, though. Like for real.

 

[TheLaughingStock]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy





World =/= solar system.

When science becomes ideology.

Yet what the Bible says is concrete.

We are entering scientist persecution erritory back in the 15th century.

What a dummy...

 

[nature boy]

Man this Politico piece about the Clinton campaign is fucking enraging

TLR: Clinton campaign DGAF about Michigan.

 

[Totakeke]

Man this Politico piece about the Clinton campaign is fucking enraging

TLR: Clinton campaign DGAF about Michigan.

Meh, the state polls were wrong and they relied on them too much. If the answer is don't trust any state polls in the future then is the correct response just to campaign everywhere that is within 10 points? You have to allocate resources somehow.

 

[studyguy]

Meh, the state polls were wrong and they relied on them too much. If the answer is don't trust any state polls in the future then is the correct response just to campaign everywhere that is within 10 points? You have to allocate resources somehow.

Next DNC candidate just going to be everywhere at once I guess. Least from the sound of it they expect to spread super thin everywhere for 2020. We'll see how things shake out I guess.

 

[RustyNails]

Man this Politico piece about the Clinton campaign is fucking enraging

TLR: Clinton campaign DGAF about Michigan.

But who do you trust. Some SEIU guys or internal polling data? You are either data-driven or gut-driven. Hillary was to no one's surprise data-driven.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

Man this Politico piece about the Clinton campaign is fucking enraging

TLR: Clinton campaign DGAF about Michigan.

They competed plenty in Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina, where did that get them?

 

[Wilsongt]

Man, if the Dems weren't committing so much voter fraud, then maybe Republicans wouldn't have had to rely on the sympathic Russians to expose them and help the GOP win on truth, facts, and a fair American election.

 

[Wag]

Goddammit, give me topic posting privileges back- I think this is deserving of its own topic.

So I'm watching the last In Performance at the White House (Ray Charles tribute) and I'm wondering what kind of concerts will be held for Trump? The concerts held for Obama's White House were so amazing. Some of the best I could remember.

So will Trump's white house be all Ted Nugent, all the time?

 

[Pixieking]

Meh, the state polls were wrong and they relied on them too much. If the answer is don't trust any state polls in the future then is the correct response just to campaign everywhere that is within 10 points? You have to allocate resources somehow.

Without knowing specifics about resources, it's hard to Monday-morning QB this. An ideal solution would be to be mostly reliant on one-thing, but to hire outside consultants whose specific remit is to show you things your internal team isn't aware of or focusing on. That's definitely easier said than done, obviously.

Meanwhile...

Jonathan O'Connell
‏@OConnellPostbiz

Argument from GSA (which oversees Trump hotel) is 1. There is no violation now because he is not president. 2. We only act on violations

Dem. lawmakers: GSA says Trump must give up D.C. hotel stake

Four Democratic members of Congress say the General Services Administration has concluded that President-elect Donald Trump will be in violation of the lease for his luxury Washington D.C. hotel when he is sworn in on Inauguration Day, unless he divests all financial interest in the project.

 

[studyguy]

Goddammit, give me topic posting privileges back- I think this is deserving of its own topic.

So I'm watching the last In Performance at the White House (Ray Charles tribute) and I'm wondering what kind of concerts will be held for Trump? The concerts held for Obama's White House were so amazing. Some of the best I could remember.

So will Trump's white house be all Ted Nugent, all the time?

Nah, some smaller country singers will come out of the woodwork along with opportunistic types eventually. I recall him having some no-names early on performing.

 

[Plinko]

Found the problem:

Man this Politico piece about the Clinton campaign is fucking enraging

TLR: Clinton campaign DGAF about Michigan.

The anecdotes are different but the narrative is the same across battlegrounds, where Democratic operatives lament a one-size-fits-all approach drawn entirely from pre-selected data — operatives spit out “the model, the model,” as they complain about it — guiding Mook’s decisions on field, television, everything else. That’s the same data operation, of course, that predicted Clinton would win the Iowa caucuses by 6 percentage points (she scraped by with two-tenths of a point), and that predicted she’d beat Bernie Sanders in Michigan (he won by 1.5 points).

Also, in "if this happened to an average citizen they'd be jailed for years" news:

Senator Patty Murray Verified account
‏@PattyMurray

Democrats call on Trump’s Secretary of Education pick, Betsy DeVos, to pay 8 year old $5.3 million fine

Still has yet to pay.

 

[thefro]

Meanwhile...

Dem. lawmakers: GSA says Trump must give up D.C. hotel stake

Seems pretty clear-cut to me:

Trump won the lease rights of the Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue, just two blocks from the White House. He opened the luxury hotel less than two weeks before Election Day. But section 37.19 of the lease agreement says that "no … elected official of the Government of the United States … shall be admitted to any share or party of this Lease."

Article also says he couldn't just give it to Ivanka.

 

[Pixieking]

Seems pretty clear-cut to me:

Article also says he couldn't just give it to Ivanka.

Yeah, this is going to be interesting. He's absolutely dead-set against giving-up business interests, and he looooooves that hotel. Could this be the thing that kills his presidency on Day 1?

 

[RustyNails]

Brian Stelter is only 31.

My mind was blown. Always thought he was in his 40's.

 

[kirblar]

Found the problem:

The Obama team overestimated how much influence data had and underestimated how big a deal Obama himself was.

Brian Stelter is only 31.

Good lord he needs to buzz all over it off. He'd look younger.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

Goddammit, give me topic posting privileges back- I think this is deserving of its own topic.

So I'm watching the last In Performance at the White House (Ray Charles tribute) and I'm wondering what kind of concerts will be held for Trump? The concerts held for Obama's White House were so amazing. Some of the best I could remember.

So will Trump's white house be all Ted Nugent, all the time?

Ted Nugent, Kanye, and Kid Rock. Yipee

 

[JP_]

Trump's national security adviser shared secrets without permission, files show



LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!

Where's that flooded "but the emails!" image?

ty!

 

[Metaphoreus]

Seems pretty clear-cut to me:

It's clear to you that a person who already owns an interest in a party to the lease becomes "admitted to [a] share or part" of the lease by subsequently becoming an elected official? That doesn't seem so clear to me.

 

[Wilsongt]

Where's that flooded "but the emails!" image?

 

[exmachina64]

Next DNC candidate just going to be everywhere at once I guess. Least from the sound of it they expect to spread super thin everywhere for 2020. We'll see how things shake out I guess.

They're probably going to lose.